When did League of Legends come out?

League of Legends undoubtedly became more than what its creators thought it would become when they decided that they wanted to make a game. However, have you ever asked, “when and how did it all begin?”

In this article, we will discover a brief origin story of Riot Games at the time, and will learn when League of Legends came out.

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When did League of Legends release?

League of Legends was officially released on the October 27 in 2009. Riot Games, a newly founded game development company founded in 2006 by Brandon Beck and Marc Merrill, released the game as a free-to-play title. Although the game’s release date was viewed as being inadequate by the developers, the timing of the release was strategic, tapping into the growing popularity of the recently-born MOBA genre, which was quickly gaining traction in the gaming community.

It's crucial to understand the foundational elements that shaped League of Legends. Originally conceived as a proper game inspired by the famous World of Warcraft 3 custom map, Defense of the Ancients, a.k.a. DOTA, Beck and Merrill sought to create a standalone game that would refine and enhance the multiplayer experience. Thus, League of Legends was born, combining strategic gameplay with diverse champions, each possessing unique abilities.

In 2008, the world got its first glimpse of League of Legends. Announced publicly and entering closed beta testing in April 2009, the game started generating buzz. Its free-to-play model, enjoyable and addicting gameplay, and vibrant art style attracted players and kept them hooked. As we said, by October 27, 2009, League of Legends officially launched, arguably popularizing the MOBA genre, and innovating the esports field throughout years of its presence.

When did League of Legends: Wild Rift release?

Before 2021, League of Legends wasn’t really available on any other platform except for PC, and for a totally understandable reason—the complexity of gameplay was the biggest hurdle in porting the game to other consoles since it would make it extremely difficult to optimize the keyboard controls for gamepad controllers. However, the possibility of a mobile release wasn’t that farfetched…

After many rumors, League of Legends: Wild Rift was officially announced by Riot Games in October 2019, marking the company's ambitious endeavor to bring the beloved PC title to mobile devices. Riot Games aimed to capture the essence of the PC version of League of Legends while optimizing—and sometimes limiting—the gameplay and controls for the mobile users.

The announcement was met with positive reactions, effectively generating considerable excitement among the community who had had enough of years of rumors, as it promised to deliver the authentic League of Legends experience on a more accessible platform. The beta testing phase for Wild Rift began in select regions in 2020, allowing players of these regions to get a glimpse of the game's mobile adaptation. However, the full global release of League of Legends: Wild Rift didn't happen until March 29, 2021.